Kapil was constantly compared with Botham, Hadlee and Khan - who are hailed as the best cricketers of all times. All four cricketers had illustrious careers and hence the fans and experts constantly compared them.

While speaking with former India cricketer and current head coach of Indian women's team WV Raman on Inside Out podcast, said: "I wouldn't say I was the greatest, but I was a better athlete than all three put together."

Praising Hadlee, Kapil said: "The best bowling was Richard Hadlee's - he was like a computer among the four of us."

Speaking about Pakistan's 1992 World Cup-winning captain Imran, Kapil said he was the most hardworking player he has ever seen.

"Wouldn't say Imran Khan was the best athlete or the most natural, but he was the most hardworking player we've seen. When he started out, he looked like an ordinary bowler, but then he became a very hardworking fast bowler and he learned by himself. And then he worked on his batting as well," Kapil added.

The 1983 World Cup-winning captain praised the legendary England captain Ian Botham as a true all-rounder. "Ian Botham was a true all-rounder - in given conditions, he could win a match on his own. I wouldn't say Hadlee was the best batsman," Kapil said.

"Botham could do damage to the opposition both with bat [and ball]. Imran could run through the (opposition) team, but his ability as a leader was far better. To control the Pakistan team, he had a challenge," Kapil added further.

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The helpline number, if introduced, will be a part of the board's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the lucrative tournament, which will be held in the UAE from September 19.

If the need arises, such dedicated helplines could help them deal with stress and anxiety better. The BCCI is set to release a comprehensive SOP for all eight franchises after Sunday's Governing Council meeting where the final schedule will be passed.

A question that has been asked by a few franchises is regarding the pressure of staying away from families for a prolonged period, and the BCCI might address that in the meeting.

"The BCCI's SOP is likely to have full details of all the medical facilities which will be available for players and support staff. It is expected that there will be a helpline where players can call up in case they feel stress and anxiety. There will be expert help for one and all," a BCCI source, privy to the development, told PTI.

One of the major issues will be how the BCCI deals with players' families accompanying them for the full period. The board as well as franchises are aware that loneliness could be a big factor, especially in a high-intensity tournament like the IPL.

"If BCCI has a helpline to deal with mental health, it could be a real welcome move and also step in the right direction which is also need of the hour," a franchise official said.

It is learnt that the franchises can work around the SOP manual which the BCCI will handover to them.

Most of the franchises are expected to call their respective Indian players and support staff and ask them to converge in one of these cities -- Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru or Chennai -- from where they would be flying out to the UAE.

One of the franchises is planning to facilitate testing of players by sending medical personnel to their respective residences. "In some cities like Mumbai, players might feel wary to go and get individual testing done at the facilities. So, there is one franchise which might ensure players get tested before they assemble in their city of departure," another BCCI source said.

There is no ambiguity regarding the fact media will not have access to bio-secured hotel environment where the teams will be putting up. However, it is not clear whether the Indian media contingent, which over the years have extensively covered IPL, will be granted accreditation in the current scenario.

"The players will be travelling by chartered flight but what about the media. Unless commercial flights start its operations from India... At this moment it looks unlikely that there will be media access to the ground," the official said.

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There will also be discussion on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for IPL 2020 which is expected to be held in UAE from September 19 to November 8 or 10. A detailed discussion on the schedule too will be made but the Central Government is yet to give its nod for the tournament to be shifted to UAE because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The BCCI has written to the Union Government seeking permission to shift IPL 2020 to UAE, while they have also written to the UAE Government expressing the desire to stage the tournament in Emirates. The Emirates fun88in.in Board too has confirmed receiving the letter from the BCCI.

However, the immediate topic of discussion in the Governing Council meeting will be about the number of players allowed to travel with the team. One section believes that the number of players should be limited so that it is to prepare the bio-secure bubble in UAE and the logistics will be easier to handle.

But another section maintains the line of thought that the teams should be allowed to take original squad so that they will not fall short of bowlers in UAE. They believe that it is tough to arrange net bowlers for all the eight teams, and they want the number of non-playing staff to be reduced to accommodate more players.

The Governing Council, headed by Brijesh Patel, will think hard on those aspects and will take opinion of the eight IPL franchises. Though the IPL teams took smaller squad to UAE when the IPL was held in Emirates in 2014 but this time the entire duration of the tournament is being held in the Gulf country and the situation is different.

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"I am lucky to get this opportunity now...so early in my coaching career. I am excited... it is an interesting challenge to be a coach at this time and I am looking forward to it," said the 31-year old, who has been appointed as the strategy and assistant coach by CPL team St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

Rangarajan became the head of scouting at Royal Challengers Bangalore last year after moving out to play for Uttarakhand. He is awaiting clarity on travelling to the Caribbean for the CPL amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I am taking up the coaching role for the first time and hope to do a good job. I hope to learn from the coaches and players in the league, which has several big names. It will be the beginning of a learning curve for me," said Rangarajan, an off-spinner who scalped 136 wickets and 1,379 runs in 47 first-class matches.

He said the CPL authorities had put forth strict protocols in view of the current pandemic which has played havoc with sporting schedules across the globe and also resulted in travel restrictions.

"The CPL has its own protocols to ensure safety of players, officials and other stakeholders. It will be interesting to see how teams cope with the situation," he added.

Rangarajan said since his younger days he used to be interested in the technical aspects of the game and that probably drew him into coaching.

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The 30-year-old pacer, who has taken 57 wickets in 47 ODIs, was ignored for the World Cup last year with England preferring Jofra Archer over him. He was also left out of the limited-overs tours of New Zealand and South Africa last winter.

Willey said he was at his lowest during his stint at Abu Dhabi T10.

"I just didn't want to be there. I didn't want to go to the ground. When I was at the ground, I didn't want to be there, and I wanted to get back to the hotel. I'd fallen out of love with the game, I think," he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Willey said the coronavirus-forced break actually helped him as he made a successful return to guide England to a six-wicket win over Ireland in the first ODI on Thursday (July 30).

England vs Ireland, 1st ODI: Willey's five-for sets the tone in straightforward Eng win

"It was just special to be out there playing for England again. I've gone away and worked quite hard to get back near my best. It's been a rollercoaster, but I was just out there enjoying my fun88 today. I'm moving in the right direction and I feel like my best fun88 is still to come," he said.

"Circumstances have given me this opportunity. I didn't get a look in over the winter, I missed out there. The extended break has been really good for me. The timing for all of this has worked out perfectly for me and it was the icing on the cake."

Willey said he tasted success for pitching the ball up.

"My success has come when I've pitched the ball up previously and really that was what I tried to do today. I kept the ball full which kept me in the game and I reaped the rewards of that."

Talking about the depth in England's white-ball team, he said: "It's an unbelievable squad. You look at the players that still aren't getting a look-in and the guys that went home from this camp: there are some brilliant cricketers sat on the sidelines that are still trying to find a way in."

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He called time on his career following another injury-hit 12-month period.

McDermott showed early promise, debuting as an 18-year-old in 2009 in first-class fun88 and was on the verge of making the national team in 2011.

He went on to win Sheffield Shield and one-day titles with his side and was a part of the title-winning Brisbane Heat team in the second edition of the Big Bash League. He achieved them all before turning 22.

Injuries had threatened to derail his career earlier too before McDermott earned back his Queensland contract after a strong finish in the 2018-19 season in the Second XI fun88.

However, he suffered a broken arm and stress fracture, which delayed his comeback to first-class fun88 and eventually leading to his retirement.

"The first seven months of the ''19-20 season threw an onslaught of challenges at me," McDermott wrote on his personal website.

"It was by far the most mentally challenging time during my career. In the space of two months, I went from the highs of receiving a contract to breaking the radius bone in my right arm in July during a fielding session."

McDermott retires with 75 first-class wickets at 24.77 in the 20 matches he played since 2009.

"Then I sustained my fourth stress fracture in seven years in my lower back only months later.

"After a period of reflection, I knew building a family with my beautiful wife Erin, continuing my fun88 coaching business and finishing my Secondary Teaching degree is what I truly wanted to do," he said.

McDermott, who was one the verge of national selection in 2011 after impressing for Australia A in the UK, will get into coaching.

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Santner is excited at the prospect of playing in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2020) and IPL (IPL 2020) after the long coronavirus-enforced break.

The 28-year-old, who last played in an ODI series against Australia in March before the pandemic brought all sporting activities to a grinding halt, will turn up for Barbados Tridents when the CPL begins on August 18.

"It's an interesting one. I'm going through America and I'll park up in the (airport) lounge in the corner somewhere. It's one of the risks we've got to think about," Santner, who was scheduled to fly out on Thursday, told stuff.co.nz.

"They've put an extensive booklet together about what happens in each circumstance which has been good, and a bit of clarity around where we're staying. It seems like they've got it under control.

"At this stage, we'll just fly straight across (from the Caribbean). I'm not sure what quarantine looks like yet, but there are some other big dogs like Dwayne Bravo and Brendon McCullum I can tag along with."

Santner, who has taken 52 wickets in 44 T20Is, will join his New Zealand colleagues Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Jimmy Neesham in UAE for the IPL, which gets underway on September 19, nine days after the end of CPL.

Santner is looking forward to some competition after a long hiatus due to the pandemic.

"I'm used to bowling in the nets to them and they've been running down at every ball so it'd be nice to play some of these guys on some spinning wickets and see if they want to try that again," said the left-handed spinner, who was bought by Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 IPL auction.

"It'll be exciting to play some fun88 again. It's been a slow winter but good to be at home for a bit and train and do all the fitness work. Chris put us through the wringer the last six weeks so it's nice to go away and not see him for a few months."

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Wagner bowling a barrage of bouncers and dismissing Australia's three leading batsmen - Steve Smith, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne - a combined 10 times was one of the rare positives for New Zealand in an otherwise one-sided Test series last season.

India are now preparing for a four-Test tour of Australia this summer. "Teams may try it but I don't think it will be as successful," Wade told fun88.com.au.

"I don't think anyone in the game has bowled bouncers the way he bowled and been so consistent, and not gotten scored off while also picking up wickets.

"I think we'll see it a bit (from India) but I don't think it will be as effective as Wagner. He's done it for a long time now ... to be honest I've never faced a bowler who is so accurate at bowling bouncers."

Wade said the series against Virat Kohli's men is going to be one of the toughest challenges for Tim Paine's side since they got together as a group.

"Everyone, although they might not admit it, is looking towards that Indian series. It's going to be hard work. They (India) are a fierce team. They're as hard a team as I've ever played in terms of the way they compete.

"Led by Virat, you can see the way he goes about it on the field, you can see what it means to him and he drives all those guys, they jump on the back of him. It's going to be as big a challenge as this team has faced for the 12 months we've been together."

Though they achieved their maiden Test series win Down Under in 2018-19, India will be facing a sterner challenge when they return to face an Australian side bolstered by the presence of Smith and Warner alongside an in-form Labuschagne.

Australia have since then won the Ashes after a drawn series in England and crushed New Zealand 3-0 at home earlier this year. Both Warner and Smith were serving their one-year ban for ball-tampering during India's last tour of Australia.

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1. Strength

They have a squad that offers a good mix of youth and experience. The likes of Shreyas, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw add the dash of youth while the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, bought from Rajasthan Royals, R Ashwin, bought from Kings XI Punjab, Ishant Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, who arrived from Sunrisers Hyderabad, brings in loads of experience with them. They have also added some foreign players who could lend some muscle like Jason Roy, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer. The West Indian pacer Keemo Paul and South Africa's Kagiso Rabada too have proved worthy in the last edition as they entered the play-offs after a long gap. India pacer Ishant Sharma will provide some depth and nuance to the attack.

2. Weakness

On the paper, they now have a settled and potent line-up. The Capitals showed that they can challenge the big boys in the IPL 2019 while entering the play-offs. But can they go that extra mile and grab the silverware? They will have to produce a strong team effort and be mindful of their propensity to fade from the radar after a good season.

3. Squad

Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shikhar Dhawan, Jason Roy, Chris Woakes, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer, Mohit Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Marcus Stoinis, Lalith Yadav.

4. Stars to watch

Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Chris Woakes, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada

5. IPL Prediction

The Delhi Capitals have the wherewithal to enter the play-offs if they reproduce the consistency of IPL 2019.

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